A router is a device that forwards data packets between computer networks, and the amount of information per unit of time that can be exchanged between the router and another device is generally known as bandwidth. For example, in the context of a home or a business, a router may be utilized to forward data packets between a local computer and the Internet at a specified broadband transmission.
Multiple bandwidth sources of varying types may exist within a local computer network at any given time. In particular, a mobile phone may be added ad hoc to the local computer network and the router can aggregate all of its connected devices, wired and wireless, into a single bandwidth route to a remote computer network. The routing industry is striving to provide new and unique techniques for optimizing such aggregate bandwidth.